Defying the Odds
by Advena
Summary: Andris, a quirky, imaginative girl is rescued from the bombing of her home by the Gods. Now, living in Asgard, she is finally free to explore the emotions she'd buried for so long, only to find that perhaps she should have kept them hidden. Loki/OC AU


__I've had this idea for a Loki/OC fanfic for a while now, but it's been difficult with finals coming up to write. But what can I say? I love Loki! I know its hard to get used to a new character but please give Andris, my OC, a chance :) You might find it in you to love her like I do (or not). Pretty please review this story when your done! Feedback is always welcome -good and bad.

Without further ado: Beyond the Reflection's Edge.

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><p><em>The cold winter's day slowly faded into an unnatural darkness, shadows grew longer and gradually engulfed the deserted store-fronts. Although the town seemed to return to its former state of inactivity, the atmosphere could hardly be more different. Tension lived in every alley. Fear crept into homes like diseased things, infecting and choking out all peace and happiness. The silence was loaded as the people waited helplessly for their fate.<em>

_Out of nowhere, the air was suddenly full of the sharp wings of jets loaded with nuclear weapons. The first bomb broke the silence like a gong. Its mushroom shaped cloud was anything but unexpected, but as tradition goes, reality always overshadowed the imagined._

_The air was thick with smoke as the flames climbed higher, engulfing the city and its inhabitants. The stench of burnt flesh mixed with the cries of the dying was enough to make a God cry. Although the world was in complete demolition, a constant rhythm of bombs counted down the seconds the living had left. It would be a miracle to survive._

Odin, the All-father of Asgard, sat down heavily into his chair. His brow was furrowed in distress as he looked up from the conjured mirror showing Midgard's surface. How an entire race could turn against itself puzzled him to now end. But this was nothing compared to the great feeling of vengeance he felt for the ones innocent of the destruction. The people who were currently dying by the thousands while he sat safely in his palace.

He had said it for years; if the Midgardians were not careful with the great amounts of power they had created, it would drive them to ruin. To extinction. And it seemed they had finally succeeded.

But through his bewilderment, he was sure of one thing: he would do what was within his power to save whatever was left of Midgard's culture.

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><p>Loki was sitting in the cold dark sanctuary that was his room when he heard a timid knocking on the great gilded door. Giving a small dignified "hmm," he gave permission for his manservant to enter his quarters. The man appeared, visibly petrified in relaying his news to his master.<p>

"Sir, the All-father requires your presence in the throne room. He is _greatly_ distressed."

Loki stood up. "He knows where to find me. What is so important that he requires me _there?"_

The man looked up at him, as if trying to decide whether or not Loki was in a safe enough mood that he wouldn't blow him to bits. Hesitantly, he answered. "Sir, I do not know exactly. But I heard Lord Heimdall mention a journey to Midgard."

"To Midgard? What business would my father have for me on Midgard?"

"I do not know sir."

Loki looked away from the frightened servant to face the great window opposite. "You may go. Tell my Father I will be there in a moment."

The man bowed humbly and left with haste.

Loki sighed. Whatever Odin wanted seemed to be too important for him to simply not show up. He drew a cloak around himself and made his way towards the throne room. Odin was waiting for him, as were Thor, Sif and the warriors three: Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg.

Fandral looked around. "So Loki, you have graciously granted us the pleasure of your presence."

Loki smirked. "I aim to please," he quipped back. Odin ignored this exchange of pleasantries. Loki looked up at his father. "So, what is this business on Midgard, Father?"

Odin lifted his sad, worn face. "It seems as though the Midgardians have finally managed to procure a weapon that could destroy all of Midgard. Sol and Mani have informed me that it seems as though Midgard will be no more without some sort of intervention."

Loki rolled his eyes. "So naturally, you are going to throw away time and energy to save those mortals," he concluded. "Father, do you not realize how much better the nine realms would be without Midgard? You yourself said that they won't stop until they've annihilated their entire race! They are worthless, good for nothing-"

"Loki! I will not hear another word. We are the Gods and therefore must protect every living thing under our care from that which harms them. Even," he paused to give Loki a sharp look, "if that something is their selves."

Loki looked incredulous. "You mean to say that you're going to march down to Midgard and destroy the mortals' weapons? You know they won't learn until they see the effects of what they've done, and by that time, not a single Midgardian will be left!"

"You are exactly right." Odin stood up to survey the six before him. "That is why I am sending you to Midgard. You are to find five mortals and bring them back here. That way their race is retained."

Sif looked at Odin, confusion evident. "Mortals? In Asgard? They have never set foot here before! What of the Norns, what will they think?"

"My dear Lady, I have spoken to the Norns and this is the only way. This mortal tragedy has been written in the stars since Yggdrasil was a seedling. It must and will happen." Sif lowered her beautiful head in reverence. Odin reached into his robe and drew out something that was emitting a soft yellow light. "This is Sannindi, my truth teller. Through her you will be able to determine which mortals to bring. If the light shines gold that mean the man's soul is pure." He separated the light so six orbs flew from his hand to the confused gods before him. "Now we mustn't waste any more time! Remember, a male and a female. May Hlin be with you!"

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><p>Thousands of miles away in a high gated city, the figure of a young girl was racing through the oncoming darkness. She skillfully dodged the beams of the search lights and skidded to a halt when she reached the tall barbed wire fence. Crouching on the snowy ground, she managed to pull loose a bit of the wire and with a quick roll, she slid under it. The snow was much deeper outside the fence and it took a mighty leap to scale the huge drift that leaned up against to fence. Grinning at her achievement, she carefully made way across the no man's land that lay between the city and the forest.<p>

Andris loved the feeling of the cold wind at her back. The snow swirling around her gave the impression of a haven, a white cocoon of safety. It was a fortress from which she could hide from the oncoming war. Although the bleak air nipped at her exposed cheeks and at the tip of her nose, she wasn't bothered. She had always had a certain immunity towards the frigid Canadian winters of her home. She knew her walks were against regulations, but the urge had been too much to resist. The fresh air and promise of solitude were too inviting. She walked with a steady pace, pausing here and there to admire the pattern of snow on an iced tree or to examine the tracks of a wayward creature. It mattered little that she had wandered off the path. The lights from her town shone like a beacon, even through the snowy haze. It was here that she was the most at home. Here she could let go of all the struggles of society, the hurt, pain and loss and just be herself. No mansion or castle could ever replace the feeling of absolute peace she felt in this isolated part of the woods. The tall evergreens that bordered her village were a gateway to freedom.

Let loose from her mind, her thoughts ran free and far. Past the ruined earth and through the universe. Perhaps somewhere out in the vast indigo sky was a place she could be safe. Maybe somewhere out there she might have a family; someone to lean on and confide in. Someone who would love her, despite her strange idiosyncrasies.

But it was fruitless. Longing for what she'd never had would just make her bitter. She kept walking.

And suddenly the night was gone, transformed into a hot inferno. The trees were ablaze. The moon was illuminated in the sky by the blossoming colors of flames and the misty white of poison gas.

Life was over, her world in ruins. And she was alone, left to rot on the ground that was gradually being engulfed in hellish heat. She was hallucinating; the flames twisted and spiraled into humanoid figures. The ground sang a duet of dry pine needles. She heard the move of a mouth and a flash of brightest white, and everything was gone.

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><p>Loki sighed. Sif and her dramatics. The mortal was only slightly injured and yet she was fussing over the girl like a mother hen. It was annoying how he was always stuck with her whenever the six went on journeys. He stretched out on the dry pine needles. They could have already been back in Asgard if Sif hadn't insisted that the mortal was too weak to travel and must first be treated. Loki had protested. There were a number of mortals still left on the earth, he had reasoned. Why take a maimed one? Sif had shouted that the girl needed her and he would stay put if he valued his manhood. Loki had stopped talking immediately. Sif's threats were to be taken seriously. He didn't want to end up like Khyn, the God of Infertility...<p>

"Loki would you stop moping and help me with her arm? It needs to be bound so she can travel." Loki took his time standing up. "Yes, master dearest, your wish is my command."

She glared at him. "Take this."

Sif thrust a wad of cloth into his chest. She repositioned herself on the prone figure's left side, and pushing up the blood stained sleeve of the girl, revealed an arm twisted at an odd angle. Definitely a break. Loki moved forward and began wrapping the light fabric around the girl's arm. His eyes moved to her face, a stark white heart against the deep browns of the woods. He guessed the eyes to be brown like her hair. A typical feature in mortals. She was as dispensable as the leaves which crowned her. One of a million replicas, not variant enough for consideration and definitely not worth the patience and effort he was giving her. Then her eyes opened and all thought left him. He was right, they were brown, but not at all the dull color he had imagined. They were a rich deep earthy color, flecked with gold and emerald specs that sparked with wetness. Loki was transfixed.

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><p>With a small gasp of pain Andris opened her eyes. A haze of green and black met her. She blinked, trying to clear her eyes of the fog that surrounded her. Slowly, the face of a young man came into view. She shrieked. The man jumped back, letting go of her arm in doing so. A sharp pain erupted where fingers had held her arm in place. She looked to her right. A young woman with beautiful golden hair was smiling kindly back at her.<p>

"You'll have to stay still or you'll injure that arm of your further." The woman said. Andris stared in mixed fear and confusion.

"What.. who.. what's going on? Who are you? What's that?" The woman's eyes followed Andris' down to the heavy looking, gold shape on the ground.

"Oh that? That's my breast plate; I took it off because it's uncomfortable to kneel down in for long periods of time." Andris stared.

"Why..." She shook her head. She must be dreaming. But the reality of the pain in her arm, and the cold leathery feeling of the leaves against her neck were too vivid to be a dream. She gulped. "Who are you?" The woman laughed,

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Lady Sif. And that," She gestured to the young man who was now shredding leaves with a bored expression on his face, "is Loki." Andris was still very confused. Not to mention the pain in her arm was getting worse.

"Um, why…Uh, what are you doing here?" She decided not to ask about the armor. That could wait.

"You are very dull indeed, mortal." It was the young man, Loki, who spoke. His voice was as cold as winter wind.

"Shut up Loki." said Sif. She looked down at Andris. "We are here to help you." Loki scowled.

"Um…Well thanks..." She sat up and gazed around her. She was in a small clearing, defiantly not the one she had fainted in. Her rescuers most have moved her away from the bombing. The bombing! The memories of what happened came back to her in a flood of emotions. She cried out again, this time in horror. Her friends, her home, everything would be gone. Nothing survived these kinds of bombings. Swaying as she stood, Andris tried to clear her head. She knew nothing would be left, but she had to make sure.

"Wait a second, where are you going?" Andris looked around to find Sif staring at her. Still in a daze Andris ignored her. She would deal with these crazy hallucinations later, if that's what they were. She stumbled back toward the line of pine trees that marked the edge of the forest. Reaching forward, Sif grabbed her wrist to pull her back. Andris screamed as she turned around and attacked her.

Sif reacted with practiced ease. Moving swiftly out of Andris' line of fire she darted behind Andris and pulled back her uninjured arm into a half-nelson. Pain shot through Andris. She didn't know why she was forcibly trying to do Sif serious damage. After all, these strangers had just saved her life. But she was beyond reason. Tears came before she could stop them, freezing instantly to her cheeks. Sif let her go and sat down beside, her enveloping her in a hesitant hug.

"Come now, we must return to Asgard." Sif whispered. Andris neither knew nor cared what Asgard was, but allowed herself to be led away. She no longer cared what happened to her. Everything she ever loved was gone.

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><p>Author's Note: Hey there! So did you like it? Hate it? Let me know and I'll do what ever is in my power to appease you -if you review. Love you all! -Advena.<p>

P.S. Tom Hiddleston is a sexy beast.


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